OpenAI is setting an ambitious goal of reaching 1 billion users within the next year, driven by innovations in AI technology and strategic partnerships. The Financial Times (FT) reported on Nov. 30 that the company aims to achieve this milestone through infrastructure expansion and further collaboration with Apple.
Since its launch two years ago, OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot has gained a staggering 250 million weekly active users. Now, the company is looking to scale even further by introducing AI agents, launching its own AI-powered search engine, and integrating ChatGPT more extensively with Apple products.
“[In 2025] we will be coming into our own, as a research lab serving millions … hoping it can be billions of consumers around the world,” OpenAI’s Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar told FT.
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This expansion follows OpenAI’s record-breaking $6 billion fundraising round in October, which valued the company at $150 billion. Friar indicated that further funding is on the horizon. “We’re in a massive growth phase, it behooves us to keep investing. We need to be on the frontier on the model front. That is expensive,” she explained.
To support its growth, OpenAI plans to build data centers in the American Midwest and Southwest, according to Chris Lehane, the company’s policy chief. Lehane emphasized the importance of securing resources for the AI race: “chips, data and energy.” This mirrors efforts by rivals such as Google and Amazon to bolster AI infrastructure.
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In addition, OpenAI is growing its sales team to meet revenue targets as it aims for $100 billion by 2029.
Beyond OpenAI, the use of generative artificial intelligence is also expanding in enterprise settings. PYMNTS recently reported that 57% of COOs now use generative AI for production monitoring, which is up from 32% earlier this year. Its role in cybersecurity and workflow management is also rising which reflects the increased confidence in AI’s potential to drive efficiency and innovation.